China vs United States: Land use hidden — Cropland

China
1.28 million Square kilometres
in 2023
United States
1.55 million Square kilometres
in 2023
China rank
4th
United States rank
3rd

Land use hidden — Cropland over time

  • China
  • United States
0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M196119922023

How they compare

United States currently reports 1.55 million Square kilometres against 1.28 million Square kilometres in China, a difference of 263,720 Square kilometres.

That makes United States's figure about 1.2 times China's.

Across all 63 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.

China ranks 4th and United States ranks 3rd of 193 countries.

United States has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade China United States Difference Ahead
1960s 1.04 million Square kilometres 1.81 million Square kilometres 767,706 Square kilometres United States
1970s 1.01 million Square kilometres 1.89 million Square kilometres 880,629 Square kilometres United States
1980s 1.18 million Square kilometres 1.89 million Square kilometres 715,051 Square kilometres United States
1990s 1.31 million Square kilometres 1.83 million Square kilometres 520,386 Square kilometres United States
2000s 1.34 million Square kilometres 1.70 million Square kilometres 366,093 Square kilometres United States
2010s 1.32 million Square kilometres 1.59 million Square kilometres 270,864 Square kilometres United States
2020s 1.28 million Square kilometres 1.56 million Square kilometres 271,755 Square kilometres United States

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher land use hidden — cropland, China or United States?
United States, at 1.55 million Square kilometres against 1.28 million Square kilometres in China as of 2023.
What is the difference in land use hidden — cropland between China and United States?
263,720 Square kilometres, with United States ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
How do China and United States rank globally for land use hidden — cropland?
China ranks 4th and United States ranks 3rd of 193 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Land use hidden — Cropland. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China vs United States: Land use hidden — Cropland. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/land-use-hidden-cropland/china/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Land use hidden — Cropland
Unit
Square kilometres
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
220 places, 12,854 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

Land resources are one of the four components of the natural environment: water, air, land and living resources. In this context land is both: a physical "milieu" necessary for the development of natural vegetation as well as cultivated vegetation; a resource for human activities. The data presented here give information concerning land use state and changes (e.g. agricultural land, forest land). Data source(s): Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N., (FAOSTAT) Contact: ENV.Stat@oecd.org Dataset release date: June 3, 2024 Database documentation Countries metadata